2 Corinthians 5:20

5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His plea ¹  through us. We plead with you ²  on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!”

2 Corinthians 10:1

Paul’s Authority from the Lord

10:1 Now I, Paul, appeal to you ³  personally ⁴  by the meekness and gentleness ⁵  of Christ (I who am meek ⁶  when present among ⁷  you, but am full of courage ⁸  toward you when away!) –

Matthew 23:37

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ⁹  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ¹⁰  How often I have longed ¹¹  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ¹²  you would have none of it! ¹³ 

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ¹⁴  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ¹⁵  – which is your reasonable service.

Galatians 4:11-12

4:11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain. 4:12 I beg you, brothers and sisters, ¹⁶  become like me, because I have become like you. You have done me no wrong!

¹ tn Or “as though God were begging.”

² tn Or “we beg you.”

³ tn The Greek pronoun (“you”) is plural.

⁴ tn The word “personally” is supplied to reflect the force of the Greek intensive pronoun αὐτός (autos) at the beginning of the verse.

⁵ tn Or “leniency and clemency.” D. Walker, “Paul’s Offer of Leniency of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1-13:10)” (Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago, 1998), argues for this alternative translation for three main reasons: (1) When the two Greek nouns πραΰτης and ἐπιείκεια (prauth" and ejpieikeia) are used together, 90% of the time the nuance is “leniency and clemency.” (2) “Leniency and clemency” has a military connotation, which is precisely what appears in the following verses. (3) 2 Cor 10-13 speaks of Paul’s sparing use of his authority, which points to the nuance of “leniency and clemency.”

⁶ tn Or “who lack confidence.”

⁷ tn Or “when face to face with.”

⁸ tn Or “but bold.”

⁹ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

¹⁰ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

¹¹ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

¹³ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

¹⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

¹⁵ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

¹⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.